Beyond the Box: Wisconsin 74, Illinois 51Jared Berggren earns Player of the Game honors with first career double-double

Jared Berggren earns Player of the Game honors with his first career double-double.

Jan. 12, 2013

STAR OF THE GAMEJared Berggren erased one of the statistical anomalies of his career by tallying his first career double-double. The senior big man scored 15 points and delivered 12 rebounds on his way to Player of the Game honors. Berggren also blocked two shots and recorded one steal in 30 minutes of action. It was the senior’s 14th -- and sixth consecutive -- double-digit scoring performance of the season and 34th of his career.

PLAY OF THE GAME With a lot of choices, this was hard. It came down to two involving Sam Dekker. The first came at the 5:44 mark in the first half. A steal by Traevon Jackson ended with a dunk by Jared Berggren, but it was the delivery that got fans on their feet. Dekker used a one-handed alley-oop pass to get Berggren the ball and give the Badgers a 29-7 lead.

Dekker’s involvement in the second play of the game came just past the 11-minute mark in the second half. Dekker picked the ball from Illinois’ Tyler Griffey close to the Illini bench and went the distance for a tomahawk dunk to cap off a 13-point performance and give the Badgers a 58-37 advantage.

Don't like those plays? BTN wants to know which UW dunk was best. Vote here: BTN.com

TURNING POINT There is only one candidate for the turning point of Saturday’s win. Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu turned the ball over on the game’s first possession and UW’s Traevon Jackson scored on a jumper at the other end. It was never in doubt after that. The Badgers raced out to a 14-0 lead as Illinois was held scoreless for the first 6:46 of the game and UW took complete control.

STAT OF THE GAME Lots of options for this one, but Wisconsin’s relentless pursuit on the offensive glass and its second-chance points get the nod. The Badgers tallied 18 offensive rebounds on 29 missed shots, and converted them into 23 put-back points. Jared Berggren was a big catalyst in that department posting five offensive boards in the first half alone and cashing them in for six points.